1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to safety systems and, more particularly to safety systems controlled by remote control signals with distinctive characteristics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The subjects of safety and security have received widespread attention in recent years. While the two fields are inter-related there is no doubt that security has been of primary interest. The reason for the emphasis on security has been the continuous rise in crime which the yearly statistics reflect and the general feeling of private citizens in this and many other countries that lawlessness prevails. Unauthorized breaking and entering of private homes and businesses, car thefts, pleasure boat thefts, tampering with railroad switches and seizing of peace officers' weapons for use against those officers are daily occurrences. There have even been cases of attempted theft of diesel freight engines!
The need for modernized safety and security devices and systems is apparent. Various electronic devices, such as electronic key and lock combinations, have been proposed but they have been complex, required considerable power for operation because they were called upon to do the actual mechanical work involved in, for example, moving a bolt or latch, and they were not adequately secure. They were also very expensive and bulky. They have had conspicuously little commercial acceptance.
Examples of patents which relate to the problems detailed above particularly as applicable to firearm safety systems are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,979,845, 1,076,530, 3,400,393, 2,472,136 and 2,337,145. However all of these involve relatively cumbersome approaches to the problem which are not feasible in situations to which the present invention is directed.